It’s no secret that to be able to sustainably look after others, you need to look after your own mental and physical well-being first. Increased workloads in health and social care services mean that often professionals feel overwhelmed and self-critical of their performance.

This module develops the capacity of health, social care and support professionals to work in compassionate and resilient ways through the conceptual exploration and practice of mindfulness and self-compassion. You’ll learn a range of contemplative practices that you can add to your ‘toolbox’ and integrate into your daily professional practice.

Our past students have found that the module provides space for creative reflection on your role and the values which you seek to embody. This not only contributes to improved quality of care but increased job satisfaction and improved self-care as you become more effective and resilient in your care or support role.

This module is suitable for those who are new to mindfulness, as well as to those who already have some experience of it.

Fancy a taster of mindfulness? Why not have a go at a 10 minute breath awareness practice or 10 minute body scan.

Learning outcomes

Theoretical and experiential knowledge of mindfulness and self-compassion and its relevance to effective, compassionate care and support

Improved ability to deliver effective and compassionate care and support through the development of mindfulness and self-compassion

Enhanced resilience from learning and practicing new skills that support you to deliver self-care thus reducing the risk of stress and burn out

Critically engaged with relevant research literature to understand the limitations of current knowledge in this field.

Our expert staff

The module was developed, and is taught, by Dr Caroline Barratt an experienced Lecturer and social researcher who is also a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority.

Caroline has a particular interest in the integration of contemplative practices, including meditation and mindfulness into higher education teaching, which is strongly evident in this module. Caroline is also involved in Mindfulness research and has written about mindfulness, self-compassion in the Nursing Standard.

What our participants say

'The balance between practicing practical elements of the course i.e. various types of meditation and the theoretical elements was excellent and helped develop my understanding of the subject.’

‘A topic I thought I knew a lot about but clearly not. The content was thought provoking and relevant. The module promoted self-development and growth.’

Entry Requirements

The module is appropriate for all health and social care professionals as well as those working in a support role more broadly for example in education.
All participants must be actively working in a support or care role during the course so that learning can be directly applied to professional practice.

Structure

Module Outline

The teaching is delivered in three day workshops totaling approximately 21 hours; compulsory online discussion forums; and online or telephone tutorials to discuss formative coursework submissions. Students will be expected to engage in a regular practice of techniques learnt during taught sessions and reflect upon them using a journal.
Topics covered include:
- What is compassion?
- Introduction to mindfulness and mindfulness practice
- Discovering intention: reflective practice
- Introduction and development of self-compassion
- ABIDE model of compassion
- Coping in the moment
- Working with the GRACE model of mindful, compassionate care.